


Nagisa's Senpai

by InYourNightmares



Category: Free!
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Romance, Tsunderes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-04
Updated: 2015-11-04
Packaged: 2018-04-30 00:18:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 15,192
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5143346
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InYourNightmares/pseuds/InYourNightmares
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Akira Yamada was minding her own business, when a pair of curious magenta eyes met hers across the train. Little did she know, the boy behind them would soon manage to worm his way into her heart with his cheerful smiles and persistent attitude.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Akira Yamada sat quietly on the train, her fingers flipping through the small organizer in her hands. A long, dark braid hung over one shoulder, the ends of the hair just skimming the organizer. She had a lot to do today. Student Council Meeting at 3, she reminded herself quietly, reading off her own neat handwriting. Finalize Cultural festival dates with Moira-senpai during lunch. That wasn't much of an issue. They'd almost decided on the dates. Photography club meeting at 4. Akira paused, wondering if that would clash with her Student Council Meeting. Considering the first year student council members had just been chosen, it was likely the meeting would take longer.

Akira glanced up thoughtfully, wondering what to do about her possible schedule clash when she saw a pair of magenta eyes staring at her. It was a boy sitting across the aisle with strawberry blonde hair and the Iwatobi High uniform. He blushed as soon as she caught him staring, but didn't avert his eyes. Akira raised an eyebrow. Freshman, she thought absentmindedly as the train stopped to a halt. She snapped her organizer shut and joined the crowd of people who were getting off.

The corridors were filled with students and Akira smiled politely at a few people whom she knew before slipping into her own classroom. Her usual seat was empty and she sat down, barely glancing at the boy next to her. Just as she sat, a girl approached her.

"Akira-chan! Student Council Meeting today, do you remember?" she chirped.

Akira nodded at Yuri, gesturing quietly towards her organizer. "Hai, I know."

"Isn't it great? We'll get to meet the first year council members. Do you remember when we were first years, Akira-chan?" However, there was no time for a trip down memory lane, as their sensei entered the class just in time. Disappointed, Yuri moved across the room to take her own seat. It wasn't a coincidence that they sat so far from each other. Akira had planned it herself.

She glanced to her left and spotted her neighbor, Haruka Nanase, sitting quietly with his dull blue eyes and looking as uninterested as ever. This seating arrangement was no coincidence either. Since her first year at Iwatobi, Akira had gone out of her way to get a seat next to Haruka. It wasn't out of any attachment towards the boy.

It was for the simple reason that Haruka never talked, and Akira liked her silence.

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Akira saw the blonde haired boy on the train the next morning as well. He smiled at her, as though they knew each other, and Akira gave him a stoic look in return. She wasn't in the habit of smiling at strangers. She flipped her organizer open again, checking her list for the day. Work at 5, she remembered as she read. Finish chemistry write-up; submission tomorrow. Print Photography Club posters during lunch.

Akira snapped her organizer shut and looked up to see the blonde boy still watching her. She wondered if she should go tell him to stop staring, but decided against it. If she ignored him, he would lose interest eventually. Besides, he seemed harmless. Just an overly curious first year.

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But Nagisa didn't lose interest. He made a habit of smiling brightly at her on the train every morning, and Akira was certain that if the train wasn't so crowded already, he would try to sit next to her. She frowned as she flipped through her organizer. How to get this boy to leave her alone? His staring was making Akira so uncomfortable that she was barely able to get through her day's schedule before she got off the train. Stupid first year boy. No manners at all.

Akira kept picturing those annoying magenta eyes until she took her usual seat in class. As always, Haruka Nanase didn't turn to wish her good morning, he didn't even look at her. Akira smiled to herself. Why couldn't the world be more like Haruka, minding its own business?

Akira went to go print the photography posters during lunch and came back with a bundle of them in her arms, just in time to see the little blonde devil exiting her classroom. Akira froze. How had he found out what class she was in? He was in the doorway, facing the inside of the classroom as he waved to someone.

"Sayonara, Haru-chan, Mako-chan!" the blonde called. Akira had never heard his voice before, but it was just as sickeningly adorable as the rest of him. She paused in the doorway just as he turned around and saw her. His magenta eyes widened happily. "Senpai!" he exclaimed, as though they were old friends who'd met in an unexpected place. Akira stiffened.

"Move, you're in my way," she snapped. Akira pushed past him and walked to her own desk, slamming the posters down on it. She turned to see the blonde boy lingering in the doorway, but one more glare from her sent him on his way. Akira stuffed the posters in her bag, before turning to look at Makoto.

"Makoto-kun, do you know that first year?" Akira asked bluntly.

Makoto turned to look at her in surprise. Despite the fact that she'd been sitting near him and Haru for the past year, she'd never really tried to speak to them. "You mean Nagisa?" Makoto asked with his usual kind smile. "Hai, Haru-chan and I were in the same swimming club as him in elementary school, we-"

"I don't really care," Akira cut him off before he could launch into a history of how they'd met and what they'd done. She didn't have time for all that. "Tell him to stop staring. It's rude and distracting."

Makoto blinked. "Oh. Okay."

Akira nodded, before taking out her organizer and striking off Print posters for photography club with a flourish.

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	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"Senpai noticed me?" Nagisa asked in surprise as he picked at his lunch with his chopsticks. Makoto and Haru were sitting next to him on the roof. Nagisa frowned and looked confused. "That's odd. She never makes eye contact or smiles back, so I always thought she didn't see me."

Makoto shook his head with a smile. "Akira-san is like that. She's been sitting next to Haru-chan since the starting of last year and she's never once said a word to him, right, Haru?"

Haru glanced up dully. "She asked me for an eraser once."

"Hai, hai, but that's one time in over a year. Akira-san's been going out of her way to sit next to Haru since then. Either she has a huge crush on him that she's trying to hide or she really hates talking to people, and likes that Haru rarely speaks. It's probably the latter."

Nagisa blinked. He couldn't help it; he'd been harboring a crush on the mysterious Akira-senpai since he first saw her. She was undoubtedly pretty; her dark hair was soft and Nagisa wondered what it would feel like. And her pink lips; he wondered what those would feel like too. He looked up at Makoto. "Does Akira-senpai have a boyfriend?"

Makoto laughed. "I've never seen her hang out with any of the boys at school. Do you have a crush on her, Nagisa? Is that why she thinks you stare at her?"

"But she's so pretty," Nagisa whined. He finished his lunch and leaned back on the roof, putting his hands behind his head. "Her eyes are the color of chocolate. But she either ignores me or glares at me. I know! I'll try talking to her today!"

Makoto smiled lightly. He wasn't sure if it was a good idea, but Nagisa was impossible to deter when he was excited about something.

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Nagisa spotted Akira right after school, putting up Photography club posters on the noticeboard at the front entrance. Her long braid cascaded down her back as she held the poster up with one hand and the stapler in another, standing on her tiptoes. Nagisa beamed. Now was his chance!

"Akira-senpai!" he greeted happily, causing Akira to yelp and drop the stapler. It clattered the floor and Nagisa dived to retrieve it, handing it back to her with a big grin. "Are you putting up posters? Wow, you're in the photography club? Sugoi!"

Akira glared at him as she snatched the stapler back. Nagisa didn't even notice; he was too busy admiring the photography club poster she'd just put up. He jabbed his finger at one of the landscape pictures printed on it. "I know where this is! It was taken in that park near the harbor main road, right?"

Akira sighed and closed her eyes. "Look, Nagoya-"

"Nagisa."

"I don't care. Stop following me around. I have a lot of work to do," Akira snapped, gathering up the rest of the posters and walking away quickly. To her disappointment, Nagisa followed her with a bounce in his step.

"Really? I can help, I don't have anything better to do!" he offered.

I'm sure you don't, Akira thought irritably. She turned and saw that the blonde boy was looking at her with wide magenta eyes, making a puppy face. He was short for a boy; they were both almost the same height. Akira took a deep breath. She could handle this. She'd dealt with annoying people before. "I'm fine, Nagisa-kun. Arigato."

It was almost as though Nagisa didn't hear her. He bounced to catch up with her and grinned. "Who else is in the photography club? Do you all go out to take pictures together? Do you have one of those fancy cameras with the huge lens? Aren't they expensive?"

Akira whirled around. "For the love of… look, I don't really know you. And I have work to do, so stop asking stupid questions and leave me alone. If you're interested in joining the photography club, you should go talk to Hideki-senpai, he's a third year. His contact number is on the poster. Bye now."

"No, I'm useless at photography," Nagisa continued with a smile. "But these pictures are really pretty. Do you have more? Can I come look at them sometime?"

Akira's hands started trembling. Her temper was rising now, and when it exploded at it's peak, it was a scary sight. She'd once lost it at a boy in the first year, who'd stolen her organizer as a joke. He had been teasing her, asking for a kiss in return for finding it. Akira had slapped him so hard he started crying and the sensei had taken her aside to tell her she couldn't get violent like that, or she would be suspended.

"Senpai, you dropped a few posters," Nagisa told her, picking up the posters that had floated off the top of her pile from the wind. He grinned as he put them back on top of her pile. "Can I carry those for you, Akira-senpai?"

Akira took a deep breath. She glared at the innocent boy, with the adorable face and the puppy-like magenta eyes. That was it. If he wasn't going to leave her alone, she might as well make use of him. She paused and whirled around, her braid swinging in the air as she deposited half the posters in his arms. "You know what? You can. In fact, do me a favor and carry them all the way to the second floor where you can put them up on the noticeboard in the corridor. Here's a stapler," she added, fishing in her bag for her spare and handing it to him. Nagisa looked a little stunned, but he took them anyway.

"Eto…" he began, as though he was about to protest. Akira raised an eyebrow at him.

"You wanted to help, didn't you?"

"Hai," he admitted, dropping his gaze to the floor, his blonde hair covering his eyes. Then he perked up. "You're right, I'd love to help you, senpai! I'll go put these up right now!"

"Arigato, Nagisa-kun," Akira called after the blonde boy as he bounced away. She sighed and looked down at the posters in her hand. She had to hurry and put these up so she could leave before that little blonde leech caught hold of her again.

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Akira managed to dodge Nagisa the next morning. It wasn't difficult; the train they took to school was crowded and she got on before Nagisa, so she could always squeeze into a crowded corner before he arrived, and he wouldn't find any space near her. He still grinned at her from across the aisle, though. There was no preventing that.

For once, Akira didn't have any work to do during lunch, so she sat in the gardens with a book and some bread. There was a group of girls in her class that welcomed her when she wanted to sit with them at times, but Akira really only sat there when Yuri dragged her. Today, she'd managed to escape. She curled up on the grass, trying to block out all noises, when she heard a female voice yell.

"It's Kou, not Gou! How many times will it take you to get it right, Nagisa?" screamed a girl with dark red hair a little distance away. Akira watched with mild interest, realizing that she enjoyed the sight of watching the blonde boy get yelled at. He didn't seem to mind though; he was just laughing. He paused mid-laugh, though, his eyes locking with Akira's. She inwardly groaned as he waved at her. There went her peace.

"Akira-senpai!" Nagisa chirped, waving eagerly at her. Akira snapped her book shut and sat up. How far away was he? Could she outrun him? It seemed a little unlikely, considering the boy was small but seemed athletically fit. She slumped back in defeat as he approached, followed by Makoto, Haru and the red-head. Nagisa plopped down on the grass next to her. "What are you reading, Akira-senpai?"

Akira pulled the book out of his reach and glared at him. "What do you want?"

Nagisa smiled. "Nothing, really. I just thought I'd say hello. I saw you on the train this morning, but you're always in such a crowded spot that I can't get to you. Maybe you can save me a seat tomorrow?"

Akira scoffed. "Not likely. Look, go away. I'm trying to read."

Makoto hesitated, and smiled politely at Akira, while grabbing Nagisa's arm. "Nagisa, let's go, I think Akira-san's a little busy right now. Gomen, Akira-san, we didn't mean to disturb you."

"But I want to talk to her!" Nagisa whined as Makoto pulled him away. Akira frowned and turned back to her book. Thank heavens for Makoto. Now if only he could handle the blonde kid all the time.

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	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"So, we thought it would be nice to set up a swimming club! After all, our school has a pool, it's just never used! And it would be so nice to enter competitions again, we used to have so much fun together!" Nagisa chirped as he bounced alongside Akira.

Akira sighed. While she managed to stay away from Nagisa in the morning rush hour on the train, he'd learned that it was never as crowded going back home. So he now tagged along and almost always managed to find a seat next to her. Akira closed her eyes, trying to ignore the pounding headache that his chattering was giving her. "I have a question," she said finally, cutting him off.

Nagisa looked up eagerly. He'd been telling her all about swimming club in elementary school, and he was eager to answer any questions she had about him, Haru, Makoto, Rin and their adventures. "Really? A question? What is it?"

"At what point did I give you the impression that I actually cared about anything you're telling me?"

Nagisa pouted. "Akira-senpai, you're so mean! I was telling you all this because we're planning to set up a swim club in Iwatobi! The swim club was closed a long time ago because it didn't have members, now we're going to revive it!" He paused, tapping his chin with a finger thoughtfully. "Although… I don't really know how one goes about setting up a new club…"

Akira sighed as she leaned her head against the closed train window and closed her eyes. Nagisa watched her sleep, blushing as her pink lips fell open slightly. He still wanted to know what they felt like; but Makoto had warned him not to touch her without her permission. "Baka. You have to get a new club application form from the staff room," Akira told him, her eyes still closed. "And find a faculty adviser to supervise your club."

"Oh? I had no idea! Arigato, Akira-senpai!"

"Mmm," Akira muttered, her eyes still closed. Nagisa smiled at her. Despite her supposed irritation at him, the more he spoke to Akira, the more he realized that while she showed a lack of interest and a constant irritation, she could be really helpful at times.

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Akira was headed to the library after class, when she spotted Nagisa coming down the corridor, his shoulders slumped and looking disappointed. She raised an eyebrow. She'd never seen the little blonde ray of sunshine look upset, and her curiosity overpowered her irritation at him. Besides, the crazy kid was wearing a swimming cap and goggles over his uniform. She paused in the corridor and he looked up at her.

"Akira-senpai?"

"Why are you so depressed?" Akira asked with a raised eyebrow. "It doesn't suit you."

"Nobody wants to join the swimming club, Akira-senpai, and we need four members to make a club. I've been trying to recruit people all day. I even tried handing out these free Iwatobi-chan dolls!" he insisted, holding out one of the small dolls they'd carved. To Nagisa's shock, Akira looked at the mascot and laughed.

"What the hell is that? It's adorable!" she said with a giggle, taking the little penguin doll from him. Nagisa only gaped at her with an open mouth. He'd never seen Akira laugh before. It was a beautiful sound, soft and relaxing. Her pink lips moved gently and a small dimple formed on her left cheek. As Nagisa stared at her, though, Akira's smile turned to a frown. "Why are you staring at me?"

"You have a really pretty laugh, Akira-senpai," Nagisa told her honestly. Akira rolled her eyes, used to his antics. She held up the Iwatobi-chan doll.

"Do you mind if I take one of these?"

"Not at all. You can have more if you want," Nagisa replied.

"That's okay. One is enough. Ja, Nagisa-kun, I'm going to the library. Don't bother everyone too much."

Nagisa nodded and stared after her, watching her braid swing. He would make a hundred Iwatobi-chan dolls if it meant he could see Akira laugh like that again. Grinning to himself with renewed energy, he snapped the goggles back on his face, ready to start advertising again.

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The next morning on the train, Akira glanced up from her organizer, expecting to see those magenta eyes fixed on her like they always were. But to her surprise, Nagisa was sitting across the aisle and talking to a tall boy in glasses. So he found a friend, she mused, getting off the train along with everyone else. Nagisa caught up to her, grinning.

"Akira-senpai! We finished cleaning up the pool yesterday! Do you want to come see it?"

"Not particularly," Akira replied. "Why would I want to come see a swimming pool?"

"Can you swim, Akira-senpai?"

Akira sighed. "I took lessons when I was a kid. I'm only good enough to save myself from drowning, though."

"Once it's warm enough to swim, you should come swim with us, Akira-senpai!" Nagisa insisted. He flushed a little red as he imagined what Akira-senpai would look like in a swimsuit. Preferably a two piece… he hurriedly composed his thoughts before Akira noticed. "Do you want more of those Iwatobi-chan dolls, senpai?"

Akira shook her head. She held up her phone, and he saw that the original doll he'd given her was strapped to it, along with a couple of other keychains. Nagisa grinned. "Wow, Akira-senpai, you have a lot of straps! Is that a mini camera? And this one's a little dolphin! Kawaii!"

Akira shrugged, blushing slightly. "I like collecting them."

"Wow! I didn't know you did things like that, senpai! You always seem so uninterested! If I see any nice straps, I'll keep them for you, okay?" Nagisa chirped happily, bouncing alongside Akira. Akira sighed and rolled her eyes, but she couldn't resist a smile. As annoying as Nagisa could be, the little blonde boy was starting to grow on her. Akira shifted and frowned. She wasn't sure if it was a good thing.

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	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

They had finally started training in the pool, and Nagisa had been begging her to come watch their practice all week. Akira hesitated outside the entrance to the swimming pool area, wondering if this was a good idea. He still followed her around as much as ever; but Akira was finding it more and more difficult to get annoyed at him when all she wanted to do was laugh or smile at his antics. She blushed, clenching her fists. It wasn't like she had a crush on the adorable kid. Besides, if she just came and showed her face at their practice, he would stop pestering her.

Akira finally entered the pool area, careful not to slip on the water. She could see Haruka and Makoto in the water, swimming laps. The bespectacled boy was stretching by the side of the pool, and Nagisa was just climbing up the pool steps.

"Akira-senpai!" Nagisa beamed, hoisting himself out of the water and hurrying over to her. Akira froze and flushed a furious red color at the sight of a half-naked Nagisa. She took a shaky step back, unable to take her eyes off him.

With his adorable child-like face, Akira had expected that the rest of Nagisa would be equally child-like. But despite his height and cheeks, he had a wonderfully toned body. Akira stared at the muscles, her hands trembling. This is wrong! He's not supposed to be this hot! She screamed in her head. Yet, despite all her screaming, the truth was that the innocent, child-like Nagisa was hiding a wonderful upper body. "Akira-senpai, are you okay? You're red."

"F-fine," Akira spluttered out. As Makoto lifted himself out of the water, Akira flushed further. How did they get these bodies? She turned back to Nagisa, who was watching her with his magenta eyes. She stared into them for a moment, trying to calm herself down. It was just Nagisa. Those magenta eyes followed her around with that puppy dog face every day. It was nothing to get flustered over. "You asked me to come watch practice, right? I had a little time before my Photography Club meeting."

"Hai, I'm glad you came!" Nagisa beamed. He grabbed a timer off a table and handed it to Akira. "Can you time me, Akira-senpai?"

"If I have to," Akira muttered, taking the timer as Nagisa snapped the goggles back onto his face and headed for the pool. She pressed the button as she watched him dive in smoothly, and smiled. He was amazingly fluid. She had no idea that he was so talented. Nagisa reached the pool wall again and slammed his hand on it, just as Akira clicked the timer off. "32.5 seconds," she told him as he climbed out again.

"Really?' Nagisa asked, disappointed. He smiled up at Akira. "I got nervous because you were watching me, senpai."

"You were still amazing," Akira said with a small smile, as Nagisa shook his hair to get the water droplets out of it. The droplets hit Akira's face and she squealed, trying to get away as he shook his hair more. "Nagisa-kun! Baka, don't do that, I have to go to a meeting after this!"

"Gomen," Nagisa laughed, handing her a towel. "Here."

Akira took it, rolling her eyes as she tried to dry herself, hiding her smile in the towel.

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Akira leaned back on the pool chair, the book propped up on her knees. She'd started coming down and sitting by the pool on the days she didn't have any other work; it was relaxing, in the heat and the poolside was always cool. Not to mention it kept Nagisa happy and off her back. She sighed and leaned back, glancing over the page to spot Makoto and Nagisa racing each other in the pool.

"He tries harder on the days you're here, senpai," Gou said as she walked over and stood next to the second year girl who was reading. She claimed she was here to escape the heat, but Gou had seen her peeking over the book and watching the boys swim.

"What?" Akira asked, frowning.

"Nagisa. His times are always better on the days when you're here, it's like he tries harder to impress you," Gou explained. Akira flushed a little, and covered her face with her book.

"I don't know why he bothers, it's not like I'm watching," Akira muttered, embarrassed.

Gou looked down in surprise. Despite how often she came down here and watched Nagisa swim, Akira very rarely complimented any of them. In fact, it almost seemed like she was embarrassed to admit that she liked hanging out here. Maybe she was really developing feelings for Nagisa and she was too afraid to admit it. Gou smiled. Either way, it was nice to have a girl around some of the time, even if Akira wasn't the friendliest of people.

Haru took a smooth dive into the pool and Akira watched quietly, thinking about how Haru's fluid motion was picture perfect. Picture perfect… "Kou-chan?" Akira said suddenly.

"Hai, senpai?"

"Do you mind if I bring a camera and take pictures sometime?" Akira asked slowly. "I usually only take pictures of nature, but… I think I might be able to get some nice shots here."

Gou looked eager. "Hai! It would be nice to get some shots!" she paused and frowned. "But it's summer vacation from tomorrow. You won't be coming around here anymore, will you? I mean, we might not even practice here. We had this idea of going to an island to practice in the ocean."

Akira blinked. "The ocean? Is that safe?"

"Sure! The old Iwatobi swim club used to do it. Didn't Nagisa-kun tell you about this? We've been thinking about it for a while now."

Akira flushed, tugging at her braid. "Well, he probably did… To be honest, it's hard to listen to everything Nagisa-kun talks about and sometimes I fall asleep on the train and he keeps talking because he didn't notice, so…"

Gou laughed. "Well, we're trying to figure out the details."

"Oh well. Maybe after summer, then."

Gou nodded and smiled, before glancing at her watch and whistling for the boys to come out of the pool. Akira sat up and closed her book, stuffing it into her bag just as Nagisa hoisted himself out and came hurrying over to her. Akira glared at him. "Don't you dare spray water on me!"

Nagisa laughed. "I won't, Akira-senpai!" he promised before he turned a little solemn. "It's the last day of school, summer vacations are starting. We won't see each other anymore."

"Thankfully," Akira muttered. "Finally, a break."

"I know! Akira-senpai, what if you came with us to the island where we're going to practice?" Nagisa asked, beaming.

"I am not giving up my life to go sit on a deserted island with you," Akira said simply. She packed up her bag and slung it over her shoulder, rolling her eyes. "Besides, I have work. We'll see each other after summer vacation, hopefully you'll have grown up a little by then." She turned to wave at the other boys. "Bye all!"

Makoto and Rei called goodbye after her, and Akira left the pool area, turning back for a second to see a pair of adorable magenta eyes staring after her sadly. Damn him, she cursed silently.

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	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"We're almost there, we're almost there!" Katsu, Akira's seven-year old brother, squealed as he jumped up and down on the boat. He was making it rock dangerously, and Akira had to grab him and make him sit down, shielding her face from the sun with one hand. He was just overly excited.

Akira wasn't sure what made her decide to take a trip to the island. Truthfully, not seeing the happy little blonde kid every day had started to bother her. Her life alone; going to work, reading and entertaining her siblings; all seemed very dull without Nagisa there to bother her. She'd always thought she was perfectly content on her own, but now she was… bored. Half the time she would just lie back and wish Nagisa was chattering away next to her. So she'd talked to her parents. Her uncle had a boat and a driver for it as well, and had arranged for Akira and her little brother to be dropped off at the island for a day.

"Sit down, baka, you'll go overboard," Akira scolded Katsu, who frowned at her.

"You're no fun, onee-chan," he grumbled. Although as the boat neared the island, Akira couldn't help but feel a little excited herself. They reached shore, and Katsu jumped down onto the sand, laughing as he twirled around. "Whee!"

"Come on," Akira snapped, grabbing Katsu by the arm once the boat driver had taken their bags out and deposited them on the island, with a promise to come pick them up the next day. Akira could see a pair of tents hitched in the distance. The group of shirtless boys with large muscles were unmistakable. "Be nice, okay? They're here to practice for a competition, so don't bother them too much or I'll call the boat driver to come pick you up right now."

"Hai, hai!" Katsu nodded as they neared the group.

Akira waved and called out to them, and the boys all turned to face her, looking surprised. Akira smiled and blushed a little when Nagisa's face broke into a grin, and he ran over to her, laughing. "Akira-senpai!" he yelled, before Akira was enveloped in a huge hug. His bare arms wrapped around her and Akira found her cheek pressed to his bare chest. She blushed furiously. She'd never hugged a half-naked boy before and Nagisa seemed a little embarrassed too, as he pulled away. The rest of them caught up, all expressing surprise.

"I was bored at home, and my brother wanted to come, so…" Akira trailed off casually, glancing at Katsu and trying to hide her red face. Gou was kneeling by him and pinching his cheeks happily. "This is my otouto, Katsu."

"He's so cute!" Gou squealed, still pinching Katsu's cheeks. He didn't seem to mind too much.

"Hello Katsu-chan, I'm Nagisa," Nagisa said with a grin, holding out a hand to the small boy. Katsu wrenched his cheeks away from Gou and looked up at Nagisa distastefully.

"That's a girl's name," he replied.

"Katsu, I said be nice," Akira scolded him, but Nagisa only laughed.

"Hai, I guess it is," he admitted.

Makoto looked at the various bags around Akira and gaped at them. He nudged Rei and Haru before clearing his throat. "Eto… Akira-san, that's a lot of stuff you brought. You're not planning on moving here, are you?"

Akira rolled her eyes. "Of course not, I'm leaving tomorrow. Most of it is food; Gou-chan told me you were running a little low on supplies and that the lodge didn't have much choice. Oh! I almost forgot. I should get the ice-cream out now, or it'll melt by evening."

"Ice cream?" Nagisa demanded, beaming. "Sugoi! Akira-senpai, you're the best!"

Akira shrugged, flushing. "It's nothing. I was bored."

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Akira licked the last spoon of her ice cream, sitting back on a towel. Haru had gone deep into the ocean after gulping down the ice cream in one shot; Rei, too, apparently determined to catch up to the other guys, had followed suit. Makoto and Nagisa were the only boys left on shore.

"I want to go swim!" Katsu insisted, tugging at Akira's leg. She'd taken off her outer clothes and changed into a swimsuit because of the heat; a two piece that, while it wasn't outrageously revealing, still managed to make Rei blink twice and Nagisa gape and turn red. Akira shifted uncomfortably. She wasn't used to wearing swimsuits, but staying in her normal clothes meant bearing the heat and being the only one who was dressed.

"Katsu, that's the ocean, not a swimming pool. There's a current. It's dangerous," Akira insisted.

Nagisa looked up, overhearing the young boy whine. "That's okay. We have some floatation devices, we can strap something onto him. And the water's pretty calm at the moment."

"But he's not a good swimmer… He'll just go out there and get scared and cry," Akira muttered, unconvinced. Besides, if her younger brother came home with even a scratch on him, she would be to blame. She hesitated, and Katsu whined, pulling on her leg pleadingly, promising that he wouldn't get scared.

Makoto looked up, finishing his own ice cream. "I'll go out with him, he'll be fine. We won't go deep, right, Katsu? I can carry him back even if he does get scared. He's pretty small."

Katsu let go of Akira's leg and looked at Makoto, seemingly conflicted as to whether he should thank him for agreeing to take him swimming, or get angry because he called him small. Katsu seemed to realize that getting mad wouldn't get him anything, though, so after an awkward pause, he ran over and hugged Makoto around the waist happily. "Arigato, Makoto-nii-chan!"

Akira sighed and gave in. Besides, Makoto was a responsible enough guy. "Fine, go with your new-found onii-chan, you opportunistic sneak," she grumbled, leaning back on the towel. "If anything happens to him, you're answerable to my parents, Makoto-kun."

Makoto laughed. "All right. Come on, Katsu, let's find you something of Rei's to help you float."

Nagisa was still sitting down and he watched as Makoto put an inflatable tire around Katsu and led him out to the water. He turned and glanced at Akira, who was staring at the sky. "Your brother is really cute, Akira-senpai," Nagisa said with a smile. "He looks a lot like you."

"He looks nothing like me, the snot-nosed little brat," Akira grumbled as she watched Makoto hoist Katsu onto his back and they both ran into the water. She suddenly felt worried. What if something happened to him? It was an ocean, and Makoto wasn't invincible, if he let go of Katsu and the current was strong… "He'll be okay, right? You guys have been swimming in this ocean for days, it's not dangerous, is it?" Akira demanded.

Nagisa noticed the sudden worry in her face and decided not to tell her about the incident with the storm, when they'd all gotten stranded on the other island. Instead, he plastered a smile onto his face. "Of course not. It's perfectly safe."

Akira glanced at Nagisa and flushed, realizing that he'd caught her looking worried. "Good. It would be a pain if he went and got himself killed," she mumbled, turning her head away from him. Nagisa smiled and lay down next to her, putting his arms behind his head.

"I think you really care about your otouto, Akira-senpai," Nagisa said quietly.

"Of course I don't. You don't choose your siblings, they're thrust upon you. You merely tolerate them to the point where you get used to it and grow somewhat fond of them. That's how it works," Akira replied simply. Her brother was little more than a pain in her backside; similar, she realized suddenly, to Nagisa.

Nagisa shook his head. "I think that's what you want to believe. You want to believe that you don't care about others. You like to think you're strong and independent, and that you're above caring about other people. That's why you're mean to the people you care about the most. It's your way of showing affection that you're embarrassed to show more directly."

Akira flushed red. How dare he? Did he really think he knew her that well? She glared at him angrily, and sat up on the towel. Her eyes flashed. "You don't know anything about me. What makes you think you can analyze my feelings? You're just trying to convince yourself that I like you, this has nothing to do with my feelings. You're a child searching for the most convenient explanation."

Nagisa looked at her in surprise. She was really angry. He'd never expected that he would make her this mad, and he bit his lip, frowning. He sighed. "You might be right, Akira-senpai. But is it really childish to want you to like me the same way I like you?"

Akira stared at him, her lips tight. "Is that supposed to be a confession?"

"I-I guess it is," Nagisa admitted, his cheeks flushing.

"Really? So it's your idea to call me a stubborn, cold-hearted bitch who can't cope with her feelings and then cover it up with an I like you? Do you really expect a positive response to that?" Akira snapped. Nagisa stared at her, open-mouthed. He had no idea where this was going.

"What? Senpai, I never said you were a-"

"You meant it," Akira snapped. "I don't know what games you're playing at, but they stop now. I'm not mean to you because I'm hiding feelings, it's because you're an annoying brat that wormed his way into my life no matter how much I tried to stop him. The only reason I tolerate you is because you give me no choice, not because I like having you around."

Nagisa stared at her for a long moment. He could feel his heart sink into his stomach as Akira glared at him and he blinked quickly. He wasn't going to cry in front of her. "Is that what you really feel, Akira-senpai?"

"Yes. I mean exactly what I say,"

Nagisa nodded, swallowing and getting to his feet quickly. He stood in front of her for a moment, head bowed. "Gomen'nasai, Akira-senpai. I didn't realize. I'll leave you alone now." And he turned around and headed back to his tent, leaving Akira sitting alone on the beach.

Akira sat there for a moment, tears brimming in her eyes before she quickly wiped them away. Then she stood up, folded the blanket, and hurried back to the lodge, where she stayed until the next morning when the boat driver came to pick her and her brother up.

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	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Nagisa stayed true to his word. Akira didn't even see him on the train on the first few days back to school. When Akira finally decided she couldn't take it anymore, she stopped Rei on the train and asked if Nagisa had stopped attending class.

"He's taking an earlier train," Rei replied calmly, although he gave her a dark look. Akira recoiled from him slightly, clenching her fists. What right did he have to give her dark looks? She felt a sick feeling in her stomach and walked away. It was fine. So Nagisa was taking an earlier train. That didn't have to mean anything. It could just mean he wanted to get to school early to practice.

Akira headed to class, taking her usual seat. For the first time, Haru acknowledged her presence. He turned and looked at her calmly. His gaze wasn't angry like Rei's; it was calm, and judgmental. Almost disappointed. So that's who you really are, it seemed to say. Akira frowned and slammed her bag on the desk. "What do you want?" she snapped at him.

Haru didn't blink. "I didn't say anything."

"Yeah? Well, let's keep it that way," Akira snapped, sitting in her seat.

She noticed Makoto glance back at the two of them worriedly, but she was too busy grabbing her organizer and flipping through it, only realizing there were tears in her eyes when she found that the letters were too blurry to read.

Even Gou gave Akira an angry look when they passed each other in the corridor one day. Akira could literally feel her resolve breaking. She'd started off the week determined that she wouldn't feel guilty and that what happened wasn't her fault, but she slowly began to wonder if it was.

Perhaps she had acted too hastily? Just because Nagisa had always laughed away her mean remarks before, didn't mean that he could do that all the time. But that wasn't her fault, right? He'd been fine with her snappy remarks until then, how was she to know he would break? Yes, she'd gone overboard, but he'd overreacted too.

Akira frowned as she sat alone on the train home. Being alone on the train had been something normal for her, but now each train journey was more painful than the last. She missed the blonde boy's constant chattering that often lulled her to sleep. She missed how he would always follow her around, his bright smile ready to greet her no matter her mood.

Sitting alone on that miserable train, was when the thought first struck her.

I don't deserve him.

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Akira knew the date of prefectorals. Nagisa had mentioned it so many times, begging her to come watch them swim, that it was ingrained in her mind. And yet, she didn't go. She told herself that it was because she didn't care, but the truth was that she knew she couldn't face him.

He's an idiot for liking someone like me, she thought to herself as she sat alone at home the weekend of swimming competition. Her fingers trembled as she finished her homework. She closed her eyes and the full guilt washed over her. It wasn't his fault. It couldn't be. Nagisa was just a normal, cheerful guy that had a crush on his senpai. He wouldn't hurt a fly. She was the one with problems, the one that had crushed him. Tears leaked down her face, as there was a knock on her bedroom door.

"Come in," Akira muttered, quickly wiping her tears. The door slid open and Katsu walked in, plopping onto her neatly-made bed. She frowned and glared at him.

"Baka! Sit straight, I just made that bed, you're ruining it!"

Katsu frowned and opened his mouth to retort, but something in his sister's expression made him close it again and sit straight. He folded his hands in her lap and bounced slightly on the bed, smiling. "I called Makoto-nii to ask what happened to their competition. He said none of them made it to the finals."

Akira was too shocked to even comment on the fact that her brother thought it was okay to call up people like Makoto randomly. She blinked at him. "Really? Not even Haruka-kun?"

Katsu shook his head and Akira frowned when she realized her brother was happy. She narrowed her eyes at him, and Katsu grinned. "But it's not over! Makoto-nii says that they're going to take part in the relay tomorrow! Isn't it great? He says I can come watch if I want to! Onee-chan, please, please, I want to go!"

"What? No, go by yourself."

"You know okaasan won't let me go unless you come! It's a long way, we'll have to take a bus and I can't do that alone! Nee-chan, please!" Katsu pouted, making a puppy face, but Akira's heart was thumping. Go see their relay? She wanted to, but how would she face Nagisa after the way she'd treated him? No way. She couldn't go there. It was out of the question.

"No. I'm not taking you. Ask okaasan to take you herself. Get out of my room."

Katsu frowned. "That's not fair! I know you only don't want to come because you were mean to Nagisa-nii and you don't want to apologize to him. Makoto-nii said you wouldn't want to come, but to bring you anyway because Nagisa-nii wants you there."

Akira glared. "For heaven's sake, are you Makoto-kun's brother or mine? How much do you two talk?"

"He's nice," Katsu defended himself. "Nicer than you."

Akira took a deep breath. Did Makoto really think that Nagisa would want her there? He had desperately begged her to come, but that was before she was horrible to him. Surely he wouldn't want someone like her dampening his big day. "It's just… it's not that easy, Katsu." She sighed and looked at her brother, who was watching her with big eyes. He was only seven, but he would understand, right? "I was horrible to him. I don't know if I can face Nagisa-kun now."

Katsu frowned. "If you're mean to someone, you have to apologize."

"Some things are beyond an apology."

"No, it's not! You said something mean, so say something nice and it'll be fixed! It's more reason to go there! Come on, onee-chan! Aren't you supposed to be setting a good example for me? What will I think if you go around being mean and don't apologize to people afterward?"

"Don't pull that one on me," Akira snapped, shaking a finger at him. She sighed and dropped her hand. "Okay. Fine. Be ready to get up early in the morning."

Katsu beamed, leaning forward and throwing his arms around his sister's neck. "Arigato, onee-chan!" he chirped, before rushing out of her bedroom, slamming the door shut behind her. Akira took a deep breath and slumped back in her chair, closing her eyes. She had to apologize. It wouldn't help anything much, but she would probably feel a weight off her shoulders if she did.

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	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

They were late. Akira had been planning to go by bus. But their mother decided that she didn't trust her only two children to go that far in a bus alone, and made them wait while she arranged for the driver to take them in a car. Akira had gotten annoyed, but her own stubbornness had been inherited from her mother, who refused to let her children take some bus when they could afford a car and driver.

"Drive faster, please," Akira begged, leaning forward in her seat. The relay would hardly take a few minutes and if they missed it, Katsu would probably start crying and she'd have to handle that.

"We're almost there," the driver assured her, as he pulled into the building's parking lot. There was a crowd of cars and Akira unsnapped both her and her brother's seatbelts, grabbing him and pulling him out of the door. They both raced inside, and hurried to the stands, just to see the announcements for the relay beginning. She grabbed her brother and pulled him up the bleacher.

"There's Gou-nee!" Katsu chirped, spotting the red-head a few rows away. Akira hesitated. The sight of Gou suddenly reminded her that she was a sort of persona non grata here, and that maybe her presence wouldn't be welcomed. But her brother was unstoppable, and he dragged Akira alone. "Gou-nee, Gou-nee!"

"Katsu-chan!" Gou greeted with a smile. She paused and turned to look up at Akira, her smile dropping slightly. "Akira-senpai. Glad you could both make it."

Akira plopped down into a seat, not even attempting to fake a smile at Gou. Her stomach was churning and she felt she was going to be sick. She took a deep breath, telling herself it was going to be all right. She could see the boys lined up in below; Nagisa's blonde hair peeked out from under his swim cap as he bounced on the balls of his feet.

Would they win? Akira crossed her fingers tightly, as the whistle blew for the race to start. Makoto began first, his powerful back stroke allowing him to easily keep up with the other swimmers. She could hear Gou and Katsu screaming beside her, but Akira could barely move. The moment Makoto touched the wall, Nagisa dove in. His arms extending while he swam powerfully. Akira clenched her fists further.

Rei was next, his stroke somewhat sloppy compared to the other swimmers. He slowly lost the lead and Akira panicked. They were falling behind. Could they make it? Would Haruka be able to cover the gap? He dove in like a dolphin, and Akira paused for a moment, wishing she had her camera to capture the beautiful, split-second entrance.

"He's passing them!" Gou squealed, jumping up and down in happiness. "He's in third- not he passed the other one, he's in second!" They all watched in terrified silence as, with one last powerful stroke, Haru crossed the swimmer in first place and slammed his hand on the wall seconds before the other.

They won. Akira watched in shock as screams erupted from around her, the loudest ones coming from the boys at the pool below. They pulled Haru out of the water, all jumping to hug him. Akira laughed as Nagisa leapt into Haru's arms, causing the taller boy to stagger backwards in surprise. She heard his happy laugh and felt her heart skip a beat. If there was one thing Akira knew, it was this.

She wanted Nagisa Hazuki in her life.

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They waited outside the locker room for the boys to come out, Akira's hands shaking. There was no getting out of facing Nagisa now. Katsu was determined to congratulate his precious Makoto-nii before they left and Akira couldn't think of a way to escape. Could she slip into the girls' locker rooms? Would they figure out she wasn't a swimmer?

"Makoto-nii!" Katsu squealed, jumping onto his favorite Iwatobi swim club member the moment he stepped out of the locker room. Makoto laughed, grabbing onto him and stopping him from falling. "Makoto-nii, you were amazing! You were all amazing!"

Makoto laughed. "Arigato, Katsu-chan," he said with a smile. He looked up and noticed Akira standing a little distance away, her face white and her palms sweaty. She wasn't looking at him, though. She was looking at Nagisa, who had just stepped out and was staring at Akira in surprise.

"Akira-senpai?" Nagisa asked slowly. Akira flushed as he stepped closer to her and gave her a small smile. "You came. I'm glad," he said softly. Akira's eyes widened and her throat closed up as she saw him smiling at her. Tears leaked out of her eyes. Glad? How could he be glad? Nagisa should hate her for what she did, how could someone be so forgiving, so perfect?

"C-congratulations," she choked out finally, causing his eyes to widen as he realized she was crying. Nagisa stared at her in shock. "Y-you did really well. That was amazing," she stammered, her throat burning as she spoke. Nagisa stepped closer to her, slowly, worried.

"Senpai…"

"No, it's okay," Akira muttered, shaking her head and covering her face with her hands. She was so humiliated, so ashamed. She'd never broken down like this in public before. She could feel everyone staring at her, but the sobs just came pouring out. What was she doing? "G-gomen, I didn't mean to ruin your moment," she choked out, her voice muffled as she covered her face and turned her back to him. "You shouldn't have to d-deal with m-me now, go ce-celebate."

Nagisa shook his head and before Akira knew it, a firm hand on her shoulder had turned her around before she was pressed into a hard chest. Nagisa's arms enveloped her quietly, and she grasped his shirt as she sobbed into it, her body racking uncontrollably. Nagisa held her tightly, and her shaking slowly stopped.

"I'm sorry," Akira whispered once she felt she could speak again. She was still speaking into his shirt; wet from her tears. Nagisa held her tightly, his face nuzzling into her neck and hair. Akira shivered as he tightened his arms around her. "Nagisa-kun, I'm so sorry," she whispered again, as she shuddered, still recovering from her sobbing fit.

"It's okay," Nagisa replied, his lips brushing her hair as he spoke. He closed his eyes, grasping onto Akira as hard as he could. "It's fine. Please don't cry, Akira-senpai. If you keep crying, I'll start crying and that would look really bad," he mumbled into her hair.

Akira smiled slightly, pushing herself away from him and looking into his magenta eyes. They were a little shiny and she realized that he really was on the verge of tears. "I was horrible to you. I'm sorry. I know words can't fix what I said, and I have no excuse, I just-"

Nagisa shook his head. "Akira-senpai, it's okay. You don't have to do this. It's my fault, you kept telling me that I was annoying and to leave you alone but I never listened, I just kept pushing. Of course you were going to snap eventually-"

"I never meant it!" Akira cried, burying her face into his chest again as she grasped his shirt. "I mean- I did at the time, but I was angry and I didn't realize how much you meant to me. I… I've missed you. So much. Nothing's the same without you, Nagisa-kun."

Nagisa beamed. "Did you really miss me?" he asked eagerly.

Akira frowned and hit his chest lightly. "Baka. Of course I did."

"Then can we hang out together again? Can I sit next to you on the train and will you come watch swimming practice like you used to?" Nagisa asked eagerly. He was grinning widely and Akira frowned at him, drying the tears on her cheeks with the heel of her hand. She stepped back from him and Nagisa's smile fell. "What? Did I say something?"

"You shouldn't forgive me so easily," Akira muttered, looking up at him. Nagisa stared at her, his magenta eyes looking confused. She sighed and shook her head. "You're too sweet, Nagisa-kun. But I guess that's one of the reasons why… I like you," she choked out. "I'm sorry it took you getting hurt and leaving for me to realize it."

Nagisa's face was red. "Do you really mean it?"

Akira nodded, pressing her face into his chest so he wouldn't see her blushing. Nagisa grinned and wrapped his arms around her again, kissing her hair gently. "I like you too, Akira-senpai."

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	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

"Akira-senpai!" Nagisa yelled out, catching up to her as she was about to board the train. Akira turned and smiled at him lightly, waiting for him to catch up before they both got on. Nagisa grinned, catching his breath. He leaned against a pole, beaming.

"You can stop calling me that, you know," Akira muttered, folding her arms across her chest. "It's a little weird now that everyone knows we're dating. You can't address your girlfriend as senpai."

Nagisa grinned. "Gomen, I'm just used to it. What can I call you, then? Akira-chan?"

"That's okay."

"Aki-chan?"

Akira narrowed her eyes. "That's pushing it a little, don't you think? I am older than you."

"Just by a few months," Nagisa pouted before grinning. "It's amazing, Akira-chan. Since we won the swim meet and everyone found out I'm dating a senior girl, I've become so popular! Everybody respects me now, especially the guys!" He paused and frowned. "Well, actually, the girls do too. This one girl from my class baked me cupcakes because we won the relay."

Akira nodded and Nagisa looked down at her, smiling hopefully. "You're not jealous?"

"I don't care," Akira grumbled.

Nagisa grinned, knowing her tone meant the exact opposite. "Anyway, it doesn't matter. Rei ate most of them anyway. Besides, Gou-chan told pretty much everyone in our year that we're dating." Nagisa beamed, looking excited. "I've always wanted a girlfriend! We can go to the movies, and picnic in the park, and… ne, Akira-sen- sorry, Akira-chan! Do you like festivals? There's a summer festival coming up! Do you like wearing yukatas? You would look really pretty in a yukata, I love wearing them too! Did you know they serve squid there? They make it really well at the festival stalls. Maybe we can even go boating! I always see couples going boating, and we can hold hands, and…"

Akira glanced up at him and yawned, causing Nagisa to stop abruptly and blush. "Gomen'nasai. I'm boring you again."

"No, I'm just tired," Akira replied with a sigh. She smiled up at him lightly and Nagisa blushed, scratching the back of his neck.

"Ne, Akira-chan. Do you really like me?" he asked nervously.

Akira blinked. "Why would you ask me that?"

"It's just a little hard to believe," he admitted with a small smile.

Akira smiled, entwining her hand in his and leaning against him slightly. Nagisa put one arm around her waist holding onto the handle on the train with the other. "Of course I like you, Nagisa-kun. I wouldn't change anything about you."

Nagisa smiled. "Really?"

"Well… it might be nice if you were a tiny bit taller…"

"Akira-chan!"

"What? It's true. That's okay, though, We'll manage. I won't wear heels around you."

Nagisa grinned. "You're so thoughtful, Akira-chan."

They both got off the train and Nagisa walked the short distance to Akira's house with her, holding her hand. Akira blushed the entire way, but she said nothing as they stopped outside her gate. She turned to face him with a smile. Nagisa was smiling too, his magenta eyes looking down at her happily. She laughed as she saw a few leaves had tangled in his blonde hair.

"Baka. You look like a caveman, there are leaves all over your hair," she scolded him, reaching up to pull them out. She stood on her tiptoes, but before she could touch the leaves, Nagisa had grabbed her face in his hands and pulled her down to his lips. Akira's eyes widened as his lips gently pressed to hers, still for a moment before they slowly moved against them. Nagisa flushed, pulling away quickly and staring at her.

"What was that?" Akira demanded, staring at him.

Nagisa was blushing furiously. "Gomen, Akira-chan, I didn't mean to! Rei-chan was the one who said it would be okay to kiss you since you're my girlfriend, and I really wanted to know what your lips felt like, but I should have asked first, I'm so sorry!"

Akira sighed, frowning at him. "Baka. That was my first kiss you just stole."

Nagisa looked to the ground, ashamed and worried. "Gomen'nasai. Please don't break up with me!"

Akira folded her arms across her chest and raised an eyebrow at him. "Well, you'll just have to make it up to me. You can start by taking me on a date Friday night."

Nagisa grinned widely and nodded. "Hai!"

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Akira entered the crowded train and sat down in her usual spot. She placed her school bag in her lap, opening it to pull out her organizer. There was a busy day ahead of her. Ask Naomi-chan to help develop swim club photos was written at the top, followed by Hand in History report to Kobayashi-sensei. She sighed, skipping past the next few lines until her eye caught the bottommost task, written neatly with a small heart next to it.

Date with Nagisa.

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	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

"Can I come, can I come, can I come?" Katsu asked, jumping up and down while trying to block his sister's view of the mirror. Akira shoved him aside, only to have him get in her way again. "Onee-chan! Don't ignore me! Can I come?"

"No," Akira replied sharply, as she fished through the small make-up bag. It wasn't even hers; she'd borrowed it from her college-going cousin, who had neglected to explain what each item in the bag did. Akira poked through various brushes, sticks, and powders that all seemed alike and yet so different. She finally found a tube of lipstick. Well. At least she knew how to use this. "Katsu, move, I need the mirror. I've never done this before."

Katsu sighed and moved aside, before peeking into the bag. He pulled out a long, oddly shaped brush and narrowed his eyes at it. "Onee-chan, what's this for?"

Akira paused in her applying the lipstick, and glanced at it. "I'll give you a 100 yen if you can tell me. I'd love to know. Don't you have something better to be doing than going through a girl's make-up bag?"

"I want to go out with you and Nagisa-nii-chan," Katsu pouted. "I like him. He bought me ice cream the last time I saw him, and asked me to say nice things about him to you. Nagisa-nii is really, really nice! He promised to buy me more, too! I want ice cream, can I come? Please, please?"

"No," Akira snapped again, before she heard the doorbell. Her eyes widened. Katsu's pestering had made her lose track of time! She watched her brother run out of the room to open the door, while quickly grabbing a tissue and wiping off the messily applied lipstick. It didn't suit her, anyway. She took a deep breath, straightened her clothes and then hurried downstairs.

Katsu had already let Nagisa in and was hugging him tightly around the waist. Nagisa patted the boy's head, seeming a little pleased to have someone that was shorter than him. "Nagisa-nii, will you buy me ice cream today? Onee-chan says I can't come with you!"

Nagisa smiled. "Gomen'nasai, Katsu-chan, not today. But if you promise not to tell anyone, then after regionals are over, we can go to that new ice cream parlor near the park. I heard they have triple chocolate scoops with fudge sauce!"

Katsu's eyes widened. "Really? You'll take me there?"

"Sure. " Nagisa bent down and lowered his voice. "You remember our deal?"

Katsu grinned and nodded, putting a finger over his lips while grinning. Akira stood there silently, arms folded across her chest while waiting for one of them to notice her. They kept whispering to each other until she cleared her throat loudly. "What are you two idiots plotting?"

Nagisa straightened up hurriedly and grinned at her. "Akira-chan! Wow, you look so pretty!"

Akira blushed a little, despite herself. She'd worn a yukata, so that she wouldn't stand out in the festival. As silly as it seemed, she felt her stomach flutter a little when Nagisa complimented her. "It's just a yukata," she muttered. "Now are you done playing with my brother so we can leave?"

Nagisa nodded, taking Akira's hand as they both started to walk out of the door. He paused to wave goodbye to Katsu, before Akira closed the door behind them. It was dark outside, and they stepped out onto the street. Nagisa was still smiling. "I think Katsu-chan's really warming up to me! Kids don't normally like me as much as they like Makoto."

"I don't see why not, you're practically one of them," Akira mused.

"Akira-chan!" Nagisa pouted.

"Don't make that face, it's only proving my point. No man gets excited over triple chocolate scoops and fudge sauce," Akira replied. She couldn't hold back a laugh when she saw Nagisa's disgruntled face. She leaned over to pinch his cheek. "Wow, Nagisa-kun, you're adorable," she laughed.

Nagisa smiled slightly, squeezing the hand that he held in hers. "Is this your first date, Akira-chan? It's my first date. I never thought I'd go on a date with you! My sisters always told me that I'm too childish and little-brotherly for a girl to date."

"Well, luckily for you, I'm apparently into that sort of thing," Akira muttered. She glanced at Nagisa, who was practically bouncing with excitement. "Is the festival any good? You went with your swim club teammates yesterday, right?"

"Yep! There's lots to do! We can look around the stalls, and eat and even watch the fireworks! Do you like squid? They have a lot of squid! Oh, and we can scoop goldfish! I'm really good at scooping goldfish, I've been doing it since elementary school."

Akira laughed. For a moment, she wondered if she was really here, on a date with a boy who considered goldfish scooping to be one of his best talents. And yet, when she saw the way his magenta eyes lit up and his innocent smile directed at her, she felt warm inside. Goldfish scooping or not, there was no one else she would rather be with. They walked closer to the festival, the lights and noise getting brighter and louder.

"Wow, ice cream!" Nagisa beamed, pausing at a stall. "This wasn't here yesterday! Akira-chan, do you mind if I-"

"Yes, I mind," Akira replied, pulling him away from the ice cream stall quickly. She'd seen Nagisa with an ice cream cone in his hands; he could easily be mistaken for a middle schooler. "I want people to think I'm on a date, not babysitting a little boy. Let's go eat squid."

They found food to eat as they wandered the stalls. Akira had to keep a firm grip on Nagisa's hand so he wouldn't go running off whenever he saw something shiny. They played a few games and ate snacks until they reached the goldfish scooping stall. Nagisa stopped and grinned. "Just wait, Akira-chan! I'll get you a goldfish!" he promised, rushing forward to pay the man. Akira stood quietly to a side while Nagisa kneeled beside the tub, his tongue sticking out of his mouth in concentration. He was sitting next to a group of elementary school kids; he seemed to blend in with them.

"Younger brother?" the stall-keeper asked Akira, smiling at her.

Akira flushed in embarrassment. "Boyfriend," she muttered, causing the stall-keeper to look surprised.

Nagisa cursed as he let another goldfish slip out of the net. It was nearing his third try and Akira tapped him on the shoulder impatiently. "Nagisa-kun, it's fine. Leave it now, you don't have to catch one."

"I almost got it!" Nagisa insisted, looking up at Akira with a puppy face. "One more try, Akira-chan, please!"

"Fine, just hurry up," Akira muttered, hoping nobody had heard him whining like a toddler. She moved away from the goldfish stall a little bit. Maybe nobody would notice she was with him? She sighed and folded her arms across her chest, until the woman at the next stall called out to her.

"You look a little tired, dear. Would you like your palm read?" she asked kindly.

Akira uncrossed her arms, glancing at the price written on the stall. It was pretty cheap. She glanced back towards Nagisa, who was still sitting among the elementary school children and trying to scoop the goldfish. She shrugged and sat on the stool that the lady pulled up for her. It wasn't as though she had anything better to do. "All right. How does this work?"

"Just give me your right hand, dear. That's right," the woman said with a smile, taking Akira's right hand in hers. "Ah, yes. There's a nice straight head-line. That means you have a realistic approach to life. But it's broken a little here; that shows slight inconsistencies. Maybe you change your mind often?"

Akira frowned and glanced at the back of Nagisa's blonde head. She'd clertainly changed her mind regarding him. As the women traced her palm again, Akira turned her attention back to her. "Your life line is straight and close to the edge of the palm. That means you're cautious when it comes to relationships. Your heart line- ah, well this is a nice one. You'll be quite content with your love life."

"Will I really?" Akira muttered.

"Well, your heart line touches your life line. That means your heart is easily broken. Of course that doesn't mean that it will be broken, only that it can be."

"Hm."

And your fate line. It breaks and changes direction. This means that your life is prone to changes from external forces."

Akira frowned down at her palm. She didn't really believe in this stuff, but it had managed to pass the time rather well while Nagisa scooped his fish. Akira thanked the woman and handed her the money, while Nagisa came up to her, his face upset.

"Didn't catch any fish?" Akira teased.

"I had it in my net, but those stupid elementary kids stole it from me!" he complained, folding his arms across his chest and pouting. A sudden smile broke out on his face as he looked up at the stall. "Palm-reading! Sugoi! Do mine, do mine!" he thrust his hand out towards the lady, who smiled and gestured for him to sit down.

"Your brother?" the palm-reading lady asked Akira kindly, while Nagisa oohed and aahed at a fake crystal ball set on the counter. Akira gave a non-committal grunt. The lady took Nagisa's hand. "Your heart line begins in the middle and is curvy; that means you fall in love easily, and freely express your emotions."

Nagisa grinned. "Really?" he turned around to look at Akira. "It's true, Akira-chan!"

"Your head line is wavy; that means you have a short attention span, but also an enthusiasm for life. Ah; multiple life lines, so extra vitality. And your fate line is deep; your life is strongly controlled by fate, young man."

Nagisa beamed as he fished out the money to pay the woman. As they continued down the festival stalls, he took Akira's hand and looked at it, as though he would learn something from her palm. He glanced up at her with a smile. "What did she say about your heart line, Akira-chan?"

Akira raised an eyebrow as he squeezed her hand happily. "She said I would be content with my love life, but that I could easily get my heart broken."

Nagisa frowned. "Really?"

"Yes."

He stopped walking, his magenta eyes looking up at her with perfect seriousness. Akira was surprised when he took a deep breath and said with complete sincerity. "I promise never to break your heart, Akira-chan!"

Akira laughed. "Baka. It's just a stupid palm reading, it doesn't mean anything."

Nagisa looked up at her, slightly disappointed. His cheeks flushed red. "Oh. Okay."

"But thank you anyway," Akira whispered with a smile, leaning closer and gently kissing his cheek. Nagisa flushed even more as he pulled away, his hand coming up to touch the place where her lips had met his cheek. He grinned at her widely and Akira smiled. "Now, come on. Let's find a nice place to watch the fireworks from."

They stood on the grass, just as the fireworks display began. Akira let her head lean on Nagisa's shoulder while they watched the various colors explode in the sky. She closed her eyes for a moment, letting her cheek rub against his shoulder. He smelled of chlorine and deodorant, and a tiny bit of strawberry. Akira inhaled gently, while Nagisa put his arm around her.

"Akira-chan?" he said slowly.

Akira looked up to find his magenta eyes inches away from hers. "Hmm?"

"I've always wanted to kiss a girl during a fireworks display." He hesitated a little, his cheeks pink. "Can I?"

Akira raised an eyebrow. "Well, sure go ahead. There's a pretty girl sitting right over there."

Nagisa flushed. "Akira-chan! You know what I meant!"

"Tell me."

"I want to kiss you during the fireworks display," Nagisa admitted. Akira smiled, both their faces equally red as he leaned closer and she could feel his warm breath on her face. She lifted up a hand to put on his cheek, and pulled his lips down to hers. Nagisa was hesitant, but his warm lips kissed hers gently, while he pulled her closer to his body. The mix of chlorine and strawberry was stronger now, and Akira let her hand slide up into his messy blonde hair. When they pulled apart, Nagisa wrapped his arms around her in a bear hug, nuzzling his face into her neck.

"That tickles," Akira muttered, still trying to catch her breath after the kiss. She grabbed onto Nagisa's shoulder, wondering why her legs suddenly felt like jelly. Nagisa grinned and kissed her neck once, before stepping back to look at her. He smiled.

"Shall we go home?" he asked.

Akira nodded, while Nagisa kept his arm firmly around her, leading her out of the small park. It was a little uncomfortable to walk while pressed into his side, but Akira wasn't about to step away. Her cheeks were still heated from the kiss when Nagisa suddenly stopped. They were near the exit to the festival.

"Ice cream…" he muttered, looking longingly at the ice cream stall. Akira sighed and gave him a slight push in it's direction. Nagisa beamed and kissed her again, lightly, before running over to look at the flavors. Akira followed his slowly watching as he plastered his face to the glass, trying to decide which one he wanted.

"Boyfriend?" the man behind the ice cream stall asked Akira, smiling.

Akira nodded with a laugh. "Yes, he is."

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	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

"Akira-chan! Akira-chan!" a cheerful voice called out. Akira smiled to herself. There was no way she could mistake that voice. Nagisa Hazuki was waving eagerly at her, where he was sitting with his friends on the roof, eating lunch. They sat in the same place every day, yet Nagisa always felt the need to yell out to her from afar, to alert her to where they were sitting. "Akira-chan, over here!"

"I know, Nagisa-kun," Akira mumbled as she approached the group of boys. "We sit here every day, I can see you from over there."

"I just wanted to make sure you noticed us," Nagisa pouted before looking eagerly at the lunchbox she carried in her hands. His magenta eyes widened in delight and he lunged for the food. "What did you bring today? Is it fish? Sugoi! It's fish! Yum!" he happily dug his chopsticks into the bento and Akira rolled her eyes fondly at him.

"Nagisa-kun, you shouldn't eat her lunch like that!" Makoto scolded him with a sigh. "What will Akira-chan eat if you finish all her food?"

Akira shrugged. "It's all right. He's hungrier than I am anyway, I had a big breakfast." She turned and looked in surprise as Nagisa rapidly finishing off her bento. He usually just took a few bites. Her eyes widened as she lightly slapped him. "Baka! At least leave some for me! I woke up early just to make that. Didn't your mother give you a lunch?"

Nagisa flushed, returning the almost-finished bento to her. "Gomen, Akira-chan. I didn't bring a lunch."

Akira suddenly felt bad for him. She sighed and pushed the bento back towards him, taking a sip of her drink. "It's okay, you eat it. Next time your mother can't make you lunch, tell me okay? I'll make extra for you, I really don't mind. I make it for Katsu-kun too, anyway."

Nagisa beamed, throwing his arms around Akira lovingly. "Akira-chan, you're the best girlfriend ever! I'm so lucky to have you! Please don't ever leave me until I die!"

"You'd probably come haunt me even after you died, baka," Akira muttered, although she was flushing red at the feeling of her boyfriend's arms around her waist. He was pressing his face against her shoulder and she could feel his warm skin through her school uniform. Before she could move, Nagisa had kissed her lightly on the cheek and released her, again picking up the bento. He began to stuff what was left into his mouth rapidly.

Akira flushed, tugging a little embarrassedly at her braid. She looked around at the other boys, who were watching them in amusement. "Eto… how is swim practice going for you guys?" she asked lightly, trying to ignore the fact that her face was flushed red.

"Swim practice is fine," Makoto replied with a smile. "We have a tough new training regimen that Gou-chan set for us. We're working really hard."

"No wonder," Akira mumbled. She glanced at Nagisa again, who was stuffing the food rapidly into his mouth. He looked as though he hadn't eaten in days and Akira tapped him on the shoulder with a sigh. "Slow down. Baka, you'll choke yourself to death and I'm not cleaning up after you. We still have half an hour left of lunch."

"Gomen," Nagisa muttered, swallowing the lump of food in his mouth. He looked up happily. "Your cooking is just so tasty. Akira-chan, will you come to swim practice today and watch me swim? Please, please, please?"

"I can't. There's a Photography Club meeting. But I can wait for you and we can walk home together."

Nagisa beamed and nodded. "Hai!"

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Akira waited outside the Iwatobi swimming pool as Nagisa emerged. He was wearing his uniform, with his shirt untucked and his golden-blonde hair still wet from his swim. He beamed happily as soon as he saw her and rushed over, shaking his blonde hair to rid it of water droplets. Akira flinched away.

"Nagisa-kun! You're making me wet, stop it!" Akira squealed. Nagisa leaned away from her and flushed, looking suddenly embarrassed. Akira raised an eyebrow, wondering what had suddenly made her mostly shameless boyfriend blush. Then she realized the implication of her words. You're making me wet. Her own face flushed a deep red and she pretended not to have noticed. "Come on, let's go home. It's getting late."

"Hai!" Nagisa perked up and cheerfully followed Akira as they walked down to the station. He hitched his bag up on his shoulders and, as usual, pressed his face up against almost every shop window that they crossed. Akira had to almost physically drag him away from the bakery so that he wouldn't make her late going home. "But I wanted those cakes- I'm hungry!"

Akira sighed. "I have to get home or okaasan will get worried. Can't you wait to go home to eat?"

"But who'll make food for me, Akira-chan?" Nagisa pouted.

"Fine. If you're that hungry and there's nothing to eat at your own house, then come to mine. I'll cook for you. But for heaven's sake, let's go." Akira pulled Nagisa down the street, but he stopped again, this time at what appeared to be a new restaurant.

"Sugoi! A maid café! This wasn't here last week! It must be new…"

Akira raised an eyebrow. "Why are you so interested in a maid café?"

"Because maid outfits are cute," Nagisa replied bluntly. He looked at Akira with a teasing smile. "You would look really good in a maid outfit, Akira-chan. You have really pretty legs and the skirts are so fluttery and kawaii! Will you wear a maid outfit for me! Akira-chan, please, please, please!"

Akira stared at the golden-haired boy in shock. One would think he was pleading his mother to buy him chocolates, not asking his girlfriend to put on a sexually provocative costume. She flushed red. Was Nagisa imagining her in a maid outfit? The idea of putting one on for him made her feel like her head would explode in embarrassment. "Hentai," she accused him, flushing. "You're such a pervert, is this what you think about all the time?"

Nagisa pouted. "But Akira-chan… you're really pretty! And you're my girlfriend, so it's okay, right?"

"No, it's not okay! Shut up! Such perverted thoughts don't suit that innocent face of yours."

"Gomen'nasai, Akira-chan," Nagisa apologized, hanging his head. He looked like a down-trodden little puppy. Akira sighed. Why was it that whenever he bowed his head and made those magenta eyes of his go all droopy, she simply couldn't refuse him anything? She grabbed his hand as they walked down the sidewalk.

"I'll think about it," she mumbled.

Nagisa beamed. "Really?" He gripped her hand tightly. "Arigatou, Akira-chan!"

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Akira woke up early the next morning, and sat up in her bed, rubbing her eyes. The sun had just risen, and her alarm clock hadn't yet begun to ring. She frowned, wondering what had woken her up, when she noticed her phone was on. She picked it up and frowned.

4 New Messages from: Nagisa

Nagisa: Ohayou, Akira-chan!

Nagisa: Are you awake yet?

Nagisa: Can you make me a bento today? I spent the night at Haru-chan's house…

Nagisa: Akira-chan?

Akira rolled her eyes. Only Nagisa Hazuki would text somebody at 5 am and expect an immediate reply. She sighed, wondering why he had spent the night at Haru's house when there was school today. Maybe all the boys had decided to sleep over. She picked up the phone and began to text back.

Akira: Ohayou, Nagisa-kun. Yes, I'll make a bento. Is chicken okay?

Nagisa: Hai! Arigato, Akira-chan! I love you!

Akira flushed, tossing her phone aside. She wondered if his 'I love you' really meant anything, or if he just said it in a casual way. After all, Akira had confessed and Nagisa had told her he liked her, but they'd never talked about any deeper feelings after that. Besides, he only really seemed to say 'I love you' when she did something for him, so it was just a casual way of showing appreciation. Akira sat up and stretched her arms with a sigh. She had a lot of food to make this morning.

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Akira hitched her bag up on her shoulder. There was still some time until the first period began, so she walked by the second year classrooms to see if Nagisa was there. She peeked into his classroom door, where there were a few second year girls were standing. She felt a little embarrassed in front of them.

"Akira-senpai!" they greeted her respectfully. "Are you looking for Nagisa-kun? He's inside."

"Arigatou," Akira thanked them and stepped into the classroom. She glanced around, expecting Nagisa to be wherever the loudest amount of noise was. To her surprise, he was nowhere near the large group of boys talking and laughing at the front of the class. Nagisa was sitting alone at the back, his chin in his hand and staring out of the window. Akira paused in surprise. It wasn't like Nagisa to sit quietly, and alone.

"Nagisa-kun. Ohayou," she said with a smile, walking up to him. Nagisa turned his head and beamed suddenly at the sight of her. Akira felt a little relieved. He was smiling, so surely there wasn't anything wrong. "I thought I'd bring you the bento."

"Akira-chan! Arigatou!" he took the lunchbox from her happily, about to open it. Akira swatted his hand away.

"Baka! That's for lunchtime, put it down!" she replied. Nagisa nodded and obediently put the lunchbox on the table. Akira stood, leaning against his table and watched him quietly. "So, why this sudden love for my cooking, hmm? You've been coming over for dinner and eating my lunches quite often these days. I hope they're not starving you at home."

Nagisa blinked his big, magenta eyes at her innocently. "But your cooking is so good, Akira-chan! I'm so lucky to have a girlfriend who's so pretty and kind and cooks so well!"

Akira flushed and rolled her eyes. "Now you're just making fun of me. Anyway, I should go to class. I'll see you at lunch, Nagisa-kun." She paused and glanced around the classroom to make sure nobody was looking. Then she quickly leaned down and placed a chaste kiss on the corner of his lips. Nagisa grinned at her as she pulled away, flushing. "Bye."

"Bye, Akira-chan!"

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Akira sighed, resting her head on her hands. Her textbooks were open in front of her, but she was almost dozing off. She'd been trying to study all evening. After all, her exams were coming up. But somehow, she couldn't focus. She sighed and poked at her phone. She'd texted Nagisa earlier. He could always be counted on to slack off along with her, but he hadn't been replying all evening.

"Stupid boyfriend. Bugs me when I'm busy, now where is he when I'm bored?" she muttered to herself, picking up her pen and trying to complete the sum she was working on. Before she could begin, though, her phone began to ring. She frowned and picked it up.

"Moshi moshi?" she mumbled.

"Moshi moshi. Is this Yamada Akira-chan?" a female voice asked politely, but there was a slight sense of urgency in her tone. She sounded upset.

Akira sat up. She had never heard this woman's voice before. She frowned and held the phone closer to her ear. "Hai, this is Akira. Who am I speaking to?" she asked quickly.

"Akira-chan, this is Hazuki Natsumi, I'm Nagisa-kun's older sister. Is he with you?"

Nagisa's sister? "What? No, Nagisa-kun isn't with me. Do you not know where he is?"

"…. Nagisa-kun ran away."

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Akira felt her heartbeat thud. She felt faint after hearing the whole story from Nagisa's sister- about how his grades had gone down drastically and that his parents were making him quit the Swim Club. How had she not known that something like this was going on with him? They sat and talked and laughed together every day, how had Akira not noticed?

Where is he now? she wondered. Nagisa was an idiot; she could only pray that he hadn't done something completely stupid. Where was he even staying at night if not at home? She gripped onto the corner of her table as she suddenly remembered. Of course! Nagisa had stayed at Haru's house the previous night! He was probably there right now! Akira hurried to grab a jacket and quickly snuck out of the house. She would worry about what her parents said after she was sure that Nagisa was safe and she gave him a good beating for not saying anything to her.

Akira quickly put on her jacket and cycled down to Haru's house. As she got off her bicycle, she realized that the lights were off and it was deserted. She felt herself start to panic. If he wasn't at Haru's house, then where was he? She pulled out her phone and tried to call Nagisa, but he wasn't picking up. She frowned, before taking a deep breath.

Wherever Nagisa was, she would find him.

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Akira was out of breath. Her heart was thudding as she ran up the stairs to the Iwatobi SC Returns building. Nagisa had to be here. She had already looked everywhere else, there was nowhere left. She hadn't even thought of the swim club, but she'd been cycling past it when she saw a car outside.

There were voices coming from the locker rooms. Akira ran in the direction, shoving the door open roughly as she saw all the boys from the swim club inside, along with Ama-chan sensei. Nagisa was trembling, and he had tears in his eyes. Akira felt her heart skip a beat in relief. He was here, he was safe. She clenched her fists as Nagisa turned and looked at her.

"A-akira-chan?" he stammered out. She was standing near the entrance, catching her breath as she slumped against the wall. Her face was red. As Nagisa stepped towards her, Akira let out a loud, choked sob and ran towards him, throwing her arms around his torso. Nagisa almost fell backwards, but he hugged her back tightly. "Akira-chan…"

"Baka!" she hissed, her voice muffled as she pressed her face into his shirt. "Don't-don't you dare talk to me! Do you have any idea what you put me through? I've been running around in the streets all night looking for you! Couldn't you have answered your phone?"

Nagisa bit his lip, blinking back tears as he looked down at the girl clinging to him. He could only see the top of her head; she had buried her face in his shirt. Nagisa hugged Akira tightly, pressing his face against her hair. He felt terrible for making her cry. "Gomen'nasai, Akira-chan…" he mumbled.

Akira sniffled, pulling back a little to look at Nagisa. She put her hands on his cheeks and looked at his tear-filled magenta eyes. She blinked up at him, her hands trembling. Then she lifted a hand and grabbed his ear, twisting it painfully. Nagisa yelled out in surprise. "Akira-chan! Ow-ow-ow- what are you doing?"

"You idiot! That was for making me worry!" Akira snapped at him. She felt the urge to hit him again, but the guilty look on his face stopped her. Instead, she beat her fists on his chest lightly as she held back a sob. "You're such a pain, you know that? I take my eyes off you for one minute and you run away from home? Why didn't you tell me? You should have told me!"

Nagisa's head drooped. "Gomen'nasai. I didn't want you to worry. Please don't cry, Akira-chan. When you cry, it makes me want to cry."

"You're already crying, you big baby," Akira muttered. She looked up at Nagisa and saw the tears streaming down his face. She took a deep, shuddering breath. "Nagisa, if you want to cry, you should just cry."

Nagisa blinked down at her. "W-what?"

"I love seeing you smile and laugh, Nagisa-kun, but I don't want that laughter to be a show put on for my benefit! If you're upset then you should tell me you're upset! Don't pretend everything is fine!" Akira snapped. She placed a hand on his cheek and tilted his head down so that he was looking at her. Her dark brown eyes were serious. "What did you promise me the night of the summer festival, huh? Did you forget?"

Nagisa smiled weakly. "I promised I wouldn't break your heart."

"Are you going to keep that promise?"

"Hai," Nagisa whispered. "I will."

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"I can't believe none of you bothered to call me about it," Akira mumbled, as she poked at her food with her chopsticks. She glared around the circle at Rei, Makoto and Haru. All of them were looking slightly guilty. She jabbed the chopstick in Makoto's direction. "I thought at least you would be responsible enough to let me know what was going on, Makoto-kun."

Makoto looked a little sheepish. "Gomen'nasai, Akira-chan. I forgot."

Gou looked around at them all. She had just heard the entire story of what had happened last night from the other boys and she was still a little surprised. "I can't believe all that happened last night… and Nagisa-kun's parents agreeing to let him stay in the swim club too!"

Nagisa grinned. "Hai! They were a lot more understanding once I talked to them. And Akira-chan was a huge help too! She was so polite and responsible and convincing that my parents agreed to everything she said at once! She's so amazing!"

Haru glanced at Rei. "Looks like we have a new Master Negotiator."

"Ehh?" Rei demanded, upset.

Akira smiled. "You can keep the title, Rei-kun. I'm just glad Nagisa's still in the swim club."

Nagisa turned and beamed at her.

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End file.
